Do You Need to Refrigerate Leftover Pie?

Should you find yourself with the exciting and rare predicament of having leftover pie, is it best to store it in the refrigerator? Well, that depends.

The pie experts at Pillsbury suggest covering custard and cream pies with plastic wrap before refrigerating for up to two days. This is backed up by the USDA, which also recommends throwing away all perishable foods after they’ve been left at room temperature for more than two hours, since bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40ºF and 140ºF. But the folks at Betty Crocker argue it’s OK to keep fruit-filled pies at room temperature, as long as it’s for two days or less; after that, the pies should head into the fridge.

Our advice? Be sure to refrigerate cream, custard, pumpkin, mousse, chiffon, or any other pies containing eggs or dairy as soon as they’ve cooled; they’ll keep for up to two days. Fruit pies can stand at room temperature for two days. If you need to store them longer, wrap them in plastic and put ’em in the fridge for up to another two days—but we hardly think they’ll be around that long.All images and recipes from CHOW: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie with Sour Cream Crust, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Chocolate Mousse Pie

Susannah Chen is a San Francisco–based freelance writer. When she’s not cooking or writing, she’s on the hunt to find the world’s best chilaquiles. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.